VIDEO from Medialink and General Motors: Hospitals Give Children a License to Drive

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 Surgery can be a frightening experiencefor anyone, but for a child and their family, the level of fear and stress isoften higher. Healthcare providers say reducing those anxieties in a youngpatient prior to surgery can lead to a better overall outcome. That's whyseveral leading children's hospitals are working hard to make the entireexperience comfortable, familiar and even fun.

Research has shown that children who are engaged in an activity or have adistraction ahead of surgery feel more comfortable, and therefore lessfearful. Child experts have developed a wide variety of activities to engagechildren and their families before surgery and during recovery. Theseactivities range from creating a web page about their stay, to playing gamesthat familiarize them with their surgery.

At the University of Michigan, patients often get to ride a battery-powered Hummer right into surgery. Donated by the local Hummer dealer, theminiature Hummers have started a new trend in healthcare that dealers acrossthe country are following.

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